THIEN MU PAGODA TRAVEL GUIDE 2020

General information about Thien Mu Pagoda

Location: Thien Mu pagoda is located at the end of Kim Long Street, Huong Long Ward, north of the Perfume River. Actually, Thien Mu Pagoda is also known by another name, Linh Mu Pagoda or Pagoda of the Celestial Lady.

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Thien Mu Pagoda is one of the most mentioned beautiful sights in hue. Not only goes into the romantic poems of Hue but also in the whole verse, Thien Mu is also considered a sacred pagoda and the scenes of not to be missed by any traveler when it comes to this ancient capital. Thien Mu Pagoda (also known as Linh Mu Pagoda) is located in Ha Khe Hill, on the north bank of Huong River, Kim Long ward. Located about 5 kilometers west of Hue city center. Built-in 1601 by the first Lord Nguyen Hoang – the First Lord of the Nguyen. Thien Mu Pagoda can be considered the oldest pagoda in Hue.

How to get to Thien Mu Pagoda?

Thien Mu Pagoda is approximately 4km from Hue City center so you can get here by motorbike, bicycle, boat.

– Roadway to Thien Mu Pagoda, you can rent bicycles, self-drive motorcycles, or take taxis, cyclo, etc.

– Waterway to Thien Mu Pagoda, you can take a dragon boat to go along the Perfume River to get to Thien Mu pagoda.

Notes:

If you take a Dragon boat to Thien Mu Pagoda, you can visit Hon Chén temple, Tomb of Minh Mang. Besides, it can also be combined with a visit to Huyen Khong Son Thuong Pagoda.

A reminder for those who like bicycles: a perfect ride should be early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the heat of Hue city.

What to see at Thien Mu Pagoda?

From far away, the first monument you can see is the seven-story octagonal tower named Phuoc Duyen. Built-in the mid-19th century by Thieu Tri emperor, the tower was to celebrate the 80th birthday of his grandmother.

On your right-hand side is the giant turtle made by marble from 1675 with a huge tablet written about the history of Thien Mu construction. 

On your left-hand side is the Great Bell, cast in 1710 by bronze. every day at 3:30 am, the monks wake up and ring the Great bell, we think the sound of the Great Bell will bring holy spirit to people in the area.

After that, you will enter into the Three Door Gate- with 12 huge guardians standing to protect the pagoda. This is the only pagoda in Vietnam with 12 guardians. 

After entering the gate, we will get to the Dai Hung shrine, the place where they worship the Buddha statues of Buddha, Lady Buddha, and Happy Buddha. 

Go to the back yard, there is a beautiful rockery for decoration, protection as well as to be a natural air-conditioning. After that, you will see a large yard with a lot of flowers and bonsai trees. There is a British car- Austin- the relic of the monk Thich Quang Duc, who burned himself to react, to ask for the freedom of people following Buddhism. 

The last one is the stupa- the grave of the first head monk in Thien Mu pagoda.